CN110868919B

CN110868919B - System for detecting and recording flatulence for health indications

Info

Publication number: CN110868919B
Application number: CN201880046324.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 金洪敏
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2017-09-28
Filing date: 2018-01-15
Publication date: 2022-09-27
Anticipated expiration: 2038-01-15
Also published as: EP3687387A4; WO2019060979A9; US10376200B2; US20190090804A1; KR20190101358A; CN110868919A; WO2019060979A1; EP3687387A1; EP3687387B1; JP2021502833A; JP6994651B2; KR102270919B1

Abstract

A system for collecting and recording the frequency of flatulence and the duration of each flatulence occurrence for an individual over a selected period of time is provided. The entry of the record provides a determination of the body cell signaling of the individual that is indicative of the health condition of the individual, whereby treatment can be performed at an early stage of the primary disease.

Description

System for detecting and recording flatulence for health indications

Background of the invention

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a system for detecting, recording and verifying flatulence to provide a health condition indication. It may provide a convenient and easy to operate means for monitoring the health condition and early detection of any potential primary disease.

Background

The commensal bacteria and yeast produce gases in the human gastrointestinal tract. On average, the human body has flatus or flatulence 10 to 18 times per day. Flatulence usually consists of 20% to 90% nitrogen, 0% to 50% hydrogen, 10% to 30% oxygen, 0% to 10% methane, and atypical gases, such as hydrogen sulfide (H2S). The hydrogen sulfide gas molecules in flatulence carry some cell signaling functions in the human body, which can indicate a healthy condition. This cellular signaling has been extensively studied in the context of human disease. It has been found that bacteria in the human gastrointestinal tract exchange signals with each other and with cells of the immune system. The molecular signature of hydrogen sulfide gas in flatulence is directly related to the gastrointestinal bacterial exchange signal. Thus, detecting and recording the frequency and intensity represented by the duration of gas released in flatulence can provide information indicative of the overall health status and/or bacterial cell signaling activity for other caregiving needs seeking to discover a possible primary disease. Many diseases can be treated and cured if detected at their early stages. Thus, the present system provides an effective warning device for early detection of possible diseases.

Disclosure of Invention

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a system for detecting, recording and validating flatulence by detecting hydrogen sulfide molecular signaling activity in flatulence to provide an indication of health status.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for detecting and recording the frequency of flatulence. It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for detecting the duration of each flatulence.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for displaying the results of the detection of flatulence for deriving a visual indication of the health condition.

Briefly, the system includes a gas collection apparatus mountable beneath the seating unit for receiving flatulence released by a user sitting on the seating unit. A hydrogen sulfide sensor is attached to or located directly within the gas collection apparatus, the sensor being operable to detect the presence of hydrogen sulfide gas in the flatulence. A frequency detector is connected to the hydrogen sulfide sensor for detecting how often the user releases flatulence over a selected period of time. A duration detector is also connected to the hydrogen sulfide sensor for detecting the duration of each flatulence. A recording device connected to the frequency detector and operable to receive event signals from the frequency detector indicative of the number of occurrences of flatulence over a selected time period; and at the same time the duration device also sends a duration signal to the recording device indicating the length of time each flatulence occurs. The display device is connected to the recording device. A display device and a recording device are operated by the user panel for displaying entries of the frequency of occurrence of flatulence and the duration of each occurrence of flatulence during a selected recording period. The record entries represent human cell signaling activities that indicate health conditions and the need to seek additional medical attention for finding any possible underlying disease.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of the system of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Referring to the drawings, an flatulence collector 10 can be provided in the seating area of a chair or under a toilet seat or the like for receiving flatulence released by a person sitting thereon. The collector is preferably bell-shaped with a frustoconical or cup-shaped housing open at the top and having a conduit connected to its bottom end. The collector 10 may be located under the seat cover of a chair with the upper edge of the collector 10 resting against the lower surface of the seat cover of the chair. Openings are formed in the seat cover to allow gas released by a person sitting in the chair in an flatulence manner to directly enter and fill the collector 10. A conductive tube transports flatulence from the collector 10 to the hydrogen sulfide sensor 11, or alternatively, the hydrogen sulfide sensor 11 may be mounted directly in the collector 10 for detecting the presence of H2S (hydrogen sulfide) gas in the flatulence. The frequency detector 12 is connected to the hydrogen sulfide sensor 11. The frequency detector 12 generates an event signal each time a person sitting in the chair releases a hydrogen sulfide containing gas. Furthermore, a duration sensor 13 is connected to the hydrogen sulfide sensor 11 through a catheter for detecting the length of time of each flatulence. The frequency detector 12 sends an event signal to a recording device 14 which records the number of times flatulence occurs within a selected time period, for example within 24 hours of several recording days. At the same time, the duration sensor 13 also sends a duration signal to the recording device 14 to provide information on the length of time of each flatulence.

The user panel 15 is connected to the recording device 14 and the display 16 so that the user can operate the control panel 15 to display entries for records of the frequency and duration of each flatulence within the time period selected by the user. Alternatively, the entries may be sent wirelessly to display the recorded data in the remote display 17.

The print report of the logging item may also be generated by a printer (not shown) connected to the logging device 14 to provide a print report of the logging item.

The combination of the associated record entries for frequency and duration of flatulence over the selected time period will indicate the molecular signaling of H2S (hydrogen sulfide) in flatulence.

When the display and/or printed report shows that hydrogen sulfide is regularly present in flatulence, this will indicate normal body cell signaling and normal health conditions. When the display shows an irregularity in the presence of hydrogen sulfide gas in flatulence, or an abnormally high frequency of occurrence, or a long duration of occurrence, this would indicate the presence of abnormal body cell signaling, and therefore further medical care and studies are needed to determine whether the irregular results are due to a primary disease.

Since the pattern of human flatulence varies from person to person, the normal pattern can be established by first recording the flatulence occurring over a certain selected period of time (e.g. 5 days).

The following is an example of the recorded results of recording normal flatulence patterns over a 5 day period:

in the above exemplary recorded results, they indicated that flatulence occurred with regular frequency and duration, and thus there was no medical problem.

The following is an example of the recorded results showing abnormal flatulence pattern within a short period of 1 day:

number of occurrences	Date of occurrence	Time of occurrence	Duration of flatulence
				For the first time	Monday	8 am 09: 09	4 minutes
For the second time	Monday	8:18 am	6 minutes
				For the third time	Monday	8 am 27: 27	6 minutes
Fourth time	Monday	8 am 35: 35	5 minutes
				Fifth time	Monday	8 am 52: 52	9 minutes

In the above exemplary recorded results, they indicate the detection of hydrogen sulfide gas in flatulence occurring within a short period of time, each occurrence of abnormally long duration. Repeated display of these recorded results would require further medical attention and investigation to ascertain whether it is due to any possible primary disease.

The hydrogen sulfide (H2S) sensor 11 is provided with a removable bacteria cassette 18, and the bacteria check sensor 19 is connected to the removable bacteria cassette 18. After each recording session, the bacterial cassette 18 may be removed and cleaned, or when the bacteria check sensor 19 detects that hydrogen sulfide molecules accumulate in the hydrogen sulfide sensor 11, it may be necessary to remove and clean the removable bacteria to ensure the accuracy of the hydrogen sulfide sensor for subsequent operation of the system.

Flatulence after passing the hydrogen sulfide sensor 11 will flow through the removable charcoal filter 20 to eliminate the bad smell of hydrogen sulfide gas. A filter performance sensor 21 is attached to the charcoal filter 20 to detect the cleanliness of the charcoal filter 20, thereby determining whether the charcoal filter 20 should be removed and cleaned or replaced.

A fan or blower 22 is connected to the charcoal filter 20 at the outlet end of the system to help draw flatulence through the entire system.

After passing through the charcoal filter 20, the stomach and intestine are bloated into odorless clean air, which is then discharged into the atmosphere without causing pollution to the atmosphere.

The system of the present invention does not normally operate until it is turned on by a user operating the user control panel 15 to actuate the recording device 14, so that the system does not operate when an unintended user is seated in a seat or toilet fitted with the system. Further, the recording device 14 includes a plurality of recording files that are distributed to a plurality of users using seats or toilet seats equipped with the present system. The controller 15 is operable to select a record file assigned to record flatulence of a particular user and to display a record entry of the particular user on the display.

The system of the present invention may be retrofitted or integrated into a chair or toilet seat by means of a user operating panel provided on the armrest of the chair or mounted to the toilet seat.

Claims

1. A system for detecting and recording the occurrence of flatulence comprising:

a gas collection apparatus mountable under a seating arrangement for receiving flatulence released by a user sitting on the seating arrangement;

a hydrogen sulfide sensor connected to the gas collection apparatus and operable to detect the presence of hydrogen sulfide gas in the flatulence;

a frequency detector connected to the hydrogen sulfide sensor for detecting the occurrence of flatulence over a selected period of time;

a duration detector connected to the hydrogen sulfide sensor for detecting a duration of each occurrence of flatulence;

a recording device connected to the frequency detector and operable to receive event signals from the frequency detector indicative of the number of occurrences of flatulence over the selected time period; and the duration detector also sends a duration signal to the recording device indicating the length of time each flatulence occurs;

a display device connected to the recording device, the display device and recording device being operated by a user panel connected to the recording device and display device to display an entry of a frequency of occurrence of flatulence and a duration of occurrence of each flatulence in the selected time period, the entry representing a human cell signaling activity indicative of a health condition of the user;

wherein the hydrogen sulfide sensor is located within the gas collection apparatus;

including a removable bacterial cassette connected to the hydrogen sulfide sensor and a bacteria check sensor connected to the removable bacterial cassette, the bacteria check sensor operable to indicate whether a bacterial cassette is to be removed for cleaning to remove bacterial buildup in the removable bacterial cassette.

2. The system of claim 1, comprising a charcoal filter coupled to the hydrogen sulfide sensor and a filter performance sensor coupled to the charcoal filter, and the filter performance sensor is operable to detect a cleanliness of the charcoal filter to determine whether the charcoal filter should be removed and cleaned or replaced.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a blower located at an outlet end of the system and operable to enhance the flow of flatulent gas through the system.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the user panel is operable to turn the system on or off.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the recording device comprises a plurality of recording files assigned to record flatulence, wherein each file is assigned to record flatulence results for a different specific individual user, and wherein the user panel is operable to select a specific assigned file for recording results of flatulence occurrences for that specific individual user.